They stood on the edge of the cliff looking over to see the dark water below.
The pounding of the waves crashing against the rocks drowned out all other sounds except the intense beating in their chests. It didn’t look quite this high from the safety of their boat below, which was now floating several hundred yards away.
The plan was to jump together. After all, this was vacation – they wanted to live a little. Have a good story to tell. The longer they stood on the edge, the longer the line behind them grew.
In their impatience, kids of all ages began to call out at the couple. The kids had been jumping off the cliffs for the last hour. What were the old people doing holding them up?
They decided to count down, 3…2…1…jump!
One took the leap while the other stood frozen still on the edge. Her legs went numb, and she took a few steps back. She tried again, this time the people around her began to count with her and some even cheered her on. All the way down to 1…still…nothing.
The thought in her head was, “Why in the world did I let myself get talked into this?”
She allowed a few kids to go ahead of her knowing their irritation was only adding to her anxiety. These kids were so small! They seemed to have no fear at all much less empathy towards her current situation. Maybe she should just take the long walk back down the steps and admit she couldn’t do it.
A young girl who had been watching from behind quietly stepped up beside the older women and gently whispered, “I’ll jump with you if you want. We could go together.” By now, the commotion had gathered quite a group of spectators. More and more people were in line waiting their turn, and now even more boats had gathered around. As the duo once again stepped up to the edge there seemed to be a unity among them as they began to call out, “You can do it! You’ve got this!
Go! Go! Go!” The little girl reached out her hand and whispered, “On 3.” Both young and old, hand in hand, leaped from the cliff.
Screams of delight filled the air and the two splashed into the water. People were cheering, shouting, and clapping because they had seen the struggle and watched the triumph!
And so is life. We often hear from God and position ourselves to take that leap of faith. Then suddenly, there we are – standing on the edge of the cliff. Looking down into the dark water thinking, “What have I gotten myself into? This is crazy! I’ll never really be able to do this.” The fears and lies that begin to invade our minds make us question if it really was God in the first place. Maybe it was just our own flesh and imaginations?
Then the calls to jump begin. Others might begin to question you. What were you thinking? Why in the world would you do that? Don’t you realize how that is going to affect your family? Still, if we are lucky, we may have a few people to encourage us. But they still stand on the sidelines cheering you on, but not offering any real support or getting too involved.
You are stuck. You may feel numb and the only thing you can hear now is the sound of crashing waves and your own beating heart racing with fear.
But then you hear it. From the depth of your soul. A small voice that says, “If you let me, I’ll go with you.” When you can finally block out the noise of the crowd, the roaring waves, and the fears inside your mind, you’ll hear Him. That reassuring, strong voice that says, “On 3…I’ll hold your hand. Let’s jump together.”
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9 NKJV).
Drive out the fears. Hush the voices. Give no place to the lies of the enemy or the ones created in your own imagination.
Let your assurance rest in the One who holds your hand and promises to never leave you.
Prayer Focus
- Give God thanks for His encouraging word and promise to always be with you.
- Pray that God will give you the resolve you need to drown out the voices around and/or inside you that would cause you to take your eyes and ears off Him and His words.
Comments are closed.